Innovative artworks that use new technologies are presented at PICA, creating unforgettable experiences that are multi-sensory and immersive. Students can investigate how artists combine sound, light, movement and texture to shape meaning and engage audiences. Boundary-crossing works encourage interdisciplinary thinking, supporting students to connect knowledge and skills across The Arts, Science, and Technologies.
Classroom & Learning Opportunities: National Science Week (16- 22 August); National Water Week (20–26 October)
Under Waters by Wiradjuri–Scottish artist April Phillips and Friends with Computers is an interactive, multi-sensory installation and PICA’s inaugural boorda yeyi Immersive Arts Commission. Using light, sound and projection, the artwork explores links between oceans and stars. Students are invited to reflect on human–ecology interdependence and the ways contemporary artists use new technologies to engage audiences and convey First Nations worldviews and connections to Country.
Term: 1, Week 3-8 | Year level: All | Learning area: The Arts (Visual Arts, Media Arts), Technologies (Digital Technologies), HASS (Geography), Science (Earth and Space Sciences)
Exhibition Details
Under Waters 2025 boorda yeyi Immersive Arts Commission
Artists: April Phillips and Friends with Computers (Pat Younis and Jordan East)
Location: Studio 2
Dates: 19 February – 29 March 2026
Learning Resources
PICA Art Talks: Friends With Computers
Merging art, science, technology and the natural world, Friends With Computers’ Under Waters is an interactive immersive installation that invites viewers to enter—and remain within—a pocket of deep time. Building a multi-sensory experience through projection, tracking technologies and poetic computation, the work presents a parallel universe that celebrates the metaphysical connection between oceans and stars, diving into a speculative past while travelling towards a celestial future.
Under Waters Glossary
This guide explains what kind of artwork Under Waters is and how it works. As you watch the PICA Art Talks video with the artists from Friends with Computers—April Phillips, Pat Younis and Jordan East—you can use this glossary to help understand words and ideas.
Soft Grates is a new sculptural installation by Jen Berean and James Carey, created for PICA’s 2026 Judy Wheeler Commission. Using sound and movement, the work responds directly to PICA’s site to reveal hidden water systems—from internal plumbing and water consumption in the building to city-wide water sources. Prompting students to consider sustainability and natural resource management, the work shows how site-specific art encourages audiences to critically reflect upon institutions and the systems and power structures they embody.
Term: 1 to 4 | Year level: 4-12 | Learning area: The Arts (Visual Arts, Media Arts), HASS (Geography), Technologies (Design), Science (Earth and Environmental Sciences)
Exhibition Details
Soft Grates 2026 Judy Wheeler Commission supported by the Simpson Family
Artists: Jen Berean and James Carey
Location: Stairwell and First Floor Mezzanine
Dates: 6 February – 20 December 2026
